AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 144 of 167 20 Presidential Fleet Review (PFR) 1984 Capt (IN) N Vijayasarathy Genre: Reflections n September 1983 my ship Malvan and sister ship Mangrol (Inshore Mine Sweepers) IMS, based at Cochin were nominated to be part of the SNC (Southern Naval Command) ships participating in PFR to be held at Bombay on 12 Feb 1984. As a Lieutenant in Command it was a dream come true and I was thrilled. The President was Giani Zail Singh. History Fleet Review is a tradition inherited from the British Navy. (Photo3). The Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces reviews the Navy as if on Parade. In India, traditionally, the President of India who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces reviews the Indian Fleet once during his tenure in office. There have, however, been two occasions when reviews were done by other personages- by the Shah of Iran in 1956 and by Defence Minister YB Chavan in 1964 on behalf of President Radhakrishnan who was indisposed. This is a practice that dates back to the 14th century when England’s King Edward III conducted one before sailing to war against France. Originally they were held only when the fleet was mobilised for war as a show of strength to discourage potential enemies or celebrate a naval victory. In March 1700, the English fleet was lined up in show of strength during visit of Peter the Great of Russia. However, in 19th century, they were often held for special royal events like coronations and jubilees. The navies world over have conducted Fleet Reviews to symbolise their loyalty, allegiance to the nation, and strengthen bonds between the sailors and the state. The first Presidential fleet review was by Dr. Rajendra Prasad on October 10, 1953. No Fleet Reviews were held for President Zakir Hussain during his tenure from 13 May 1967 to 03 May 1969 and President N Sanjiva Reddy during his tenure from 25 July 1977 to 24 Jul 1982. I